Ip Chun (born Ip Hok-chun; 10 July 1924), also known as Yip Chun or Yip Jun, is a Chinese martial artist in the style of

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春 or 咏春, lit. "singing spring"), sometimes spelled Ving Tsun, is a concept-based fighting art, form of Southern Chinese kung fu and close-quarters system of self-defense. In Mandarin, it is pronounced "Yong Chun. ...

. He is the elder of two sons. Chun's father

Ip Man Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, ( / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese people, Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later ...

was the Wing Chun teacher of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

Early life

He was born Ip Hok-chun in

Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

on 10 July 1924 to police officer and martial artist

and his wife

Cheung Wing-sing Cheung Wing-sing (; 1897 – 1960) was the wife of Wing Chun master Ip Man. Biography Little is known about Cheung's birth and childhood life except that she was a relative of the Qing Dynasty official Zhang Yinhuan () (1837–1900), who was invo ...

. In 1949, after the

Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

established the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland, Ip's father left for Hong Kong and Ip, then 24, remained in

to continue his studies in university. However, in 1962, due to the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, Ip and his younger brother, Ip Ching, were forced to leave Foshan and move to Hong Kong to join their father.

Education

Ip studied

Chinese history The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

traditional music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

, and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. In 1950, Ip had completed his studies and he chose teaching as a profession. In addition to teaching Chinese history, music and science, Ip also helped the Chinese Foshan Entertainment Department organise

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

plays. During that time, he was awarded "The Person with the Most Potential in Chinese Art" award for his research in music.

Professional career

In Hong Kong, Ip worked as an accountant and newspaper reporter in the day and practiced Wing Chun in the evening under his father's tutelage. In accordance with his father's wishes, in 1965, Ip participated in the affairs of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association and became one of its founding members when it was formally established in 1968. During the first three years in the association, Ip took on the role of treasurer and was later appointed as chairman.

Teaching accomplishments

In 1967, Ip began teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong and some of his first students, such as Leung Chung-wai and Ho Kay, chairman of Wing Chun Ip Chun Academy and a student of Ip for three decades, still train with him at present. Ip's father died in December 1972 and entrusted the film footage of his

Siu Nim Tao Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春 or 咏春, lit. "singing spring"), sometimes spelled Ving Tsun, is a concept-based fighting art, form of Southern Chinese kung fu and close-quarters system of self-defense. In Mandarin, it is pronounced "Yong Chun. ...

, Chum Kiu and

Muk Yan Jong ''Mu ren zhuang'' (), also known as ''The Wing-Chun Dummy'' or simply ''The Wooden Dummy'' internationally. This athletic equipment is used in Chinese martial arts training from being associated with the martial art of Wing Chun and other kung f ...

forms to his sons for posterity. In 2014 Ip Chun was selected as a nominee to represent Wing Chun as the inheritor of the legacy of Wing Chun-style kung fu. Ip Chun has taught and held seminars in many cities, including countries such as Australia, England and the United States. Ip Chun with Felix Leong

In film

Ip Chun had a small role in the 1976 film '' Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth'' as Bruce Lee's ''Wing Chun Sifu'' (Ip Man). Ip made a special appearance as Ip Man in the 1999 film '' What You Gonna Do, Sai Fung?'' ( ''1959 某日某''). Ip served as a consultant for ''

'', a 2008 Hong Kong film about the life of his father. He also made another special appearance as Leung Bik (son of

Leung Jan Leung Jan (born Leung Tak-wing; 1826–1901) was a Chinese martial artist and Wing Chun practitioner from Heshan, Guangdong. He was known in Foshan as ''Mr. Jan of Foshan'' and ''King of Wing Chun Kuen''. Leung Jan is one of the earliest well- ...

) in another film, '' The Legend is Born – Ip Man''. In 2013, he made a cameo appearance in another Ip Man film, '' Ip Man: The Final Fight''.

Awards and achievements

*Ip Chun received a Fellowship (FSMA) from the Society of Martial Arts (U.K.), the only professional and Educational Charity to introduce the first degree program in martial arts in the world, from its Founder and President Prof. Eugene de Silva PhD, FRSA in 2000. *Received "The Person with the Most Potential in Chinese Art" award for his research in music. *Winner of the

China Movie Channel Media Awards China Movie Channel Media Awards (电影频道传媒大奖) are presented at each Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is on ...

for Best Male Supporting Role at

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

2010. *Nominated at the ''China Movie Channel Media Awards'' for Best New Actor at ''Shanghai International Film Festival 2010.''

Bibliography

* Ip Chun, Leung Ting, (1981
116 Wing Tsun Dummy Techniques
Hong Kong: Leung Publications. (PDF)

References

External links

www.ipchun.net
– Wing Chun Ip Chun Academy website. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ip, Chun 1924 births Living people People from Nanhai District Wing Chun practitioners from Hong Kong Sportspeople from Guangdong People from Foshan Cantonese people Chinese Wing Chun practitioners Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong